Sometimes the best business ideas come from hobbies and side projects. That's happened with Sheila Fajl. She started her journey into fashion as something she simply liked doing. Then she started making jewelry and people loved it. She was event stopped on the sidewalk of 5th Avenue by a fashion journalist one day.
E76 | Designing for Life's Events | Hannah Payne
Hannah Payne is the founder and designer behind Luba, a high-end ready-to-wear line where every sale goes back to support women through her charity, the LOVE Foundation. In her junior year of college, Hannah secretly "studied abroad" in Florence - little did her parents know, she was taking drawing and sewing classes to further her passion into a tangible business. While doing research for a school project, Hannah was disturbed to find out that there were more animal shelters than women’s shelters in the US. She was even more shocked to learn that shelters turned down 30 women and their children everyday, due to lack of space. Hannah decided that she wanted to create a business where she can not only pursue her love for fashion, but also give back and empower women.
E57 | From Plastic Bottle to Designer Bags | Hamilton Perkins
On today's episode we chat with Hamilton Perkins, founder of the Hamilton Perkins Collection. He is creating an amazing company making designer bags affordable while also addressing the problems of sustainability and social responsibility. It all started with someone who wanted to solve a problem. It has now grown to be a brand that is changing the industry.
Hamilton Perkins Collection was born out of a simple necessity: the need for affordable designer bags that look good, perform well, and make a difference.
Similar to many travelers in the world they had trouble finding a socially conscious bag that met their basic needs in a practical and responsible way. They researched the industry and found that most options were average quality. The majority of the bag makers maintain low prices with high levels of secrecy around how they achieve it. Other bags are excellent quality and cost way too much for the price. What is available to the modern traveler looking to find purpose in every journey?
They founded Hamilton Perkins Collection to be an alternative for travelers on the go. Most brands look at philanthropy and giving as an afterthought but they see it as an essential part of running a business today. In collaboration with their workshops and suppliers, they are committed to supporting fair wages and delivering value to less developed nations by sourcing raw materials that divert plastic bottles, save water, add revenue, create jobs in parts of the world that need it the most. Who says style can't have purpose? From bottles to bags!
Topics covered in this episode: Sustainability, Upcycling, Green Products, Kickstarter and Crowdfunding, How to build an audience, Design, Working with the Clinton Foundation, Philanthropy and changing the world around you, Social Responsibility in Business, and so much more.
Discount Code: jumblethink at www.hamiltonperkins.com
E54 | Friendship & Fashion | Alessandra Perez-Rubio & Louisa Rechter
In a sea of countless ready-to-wear brands, MESTIZA is the forefront of authenticity and true embracement of culture. Inspired by a shared heritage, co-founders and best friends, Alessandra and Louisa, created the brand to bridge the gap between elevated statement cocktail attire and a contemporary price point.
Louisa and Alessandra met in college, where they bonded over their shared roots in the Philippines – Alessandra grew up in Manila and Louisa’s mother lived in Cebu. Over time, the girls were sharing everything over their obsession with fashion. Under the creative direction of Alessandra, MESTIZA offers show-stopping styles with a nod to vintage wanderlust, from Spanish Matador brocades to Filipino Colonial silhouettes.
MESTIZA has a unique charity angle where they’ve partnered with the Habi Philippine Textile Council to support female textile weavers in the Philippines. Each piece helps to sustain the Philippine cotton farming industry, create jobs for women, and keep a centuries-old artisanal craft alive.
Topics covered in this episode: Fashion, Risking everything, Philanthropy, Friendship and business, Women in business, Building a brand, and so much more.
E49 | Creating a Brand that Gives Back | Jellaine Dee
From weekend market stalls to taking on multinational beauty heavy weights, Jellaine Dee's climb to the top has been both rapid and unconventional. The Gold Coast local began her career in the advertising industry, but fairly quickly discovered she had the “entrepreneurial bug”.
Jellaine is the founder and Creative Director of Cherry Blooms. Cherry Blooms’ goal is to be in the hearts and makeup bags of every woman in the world. When Jellaine stumbled upon a Fiber Lash product while browsing at a Korean beauty store, she instinctively knew she’d found inspiration for a flagship product – a product that she became obsessed with fine-tuning and bringing to the west. She tweaked the formulation to add high quality beeswax and hyper allergenic plant-based fibers and began manufacturing the Brush On Fiber Lash Kit under her Cherry Blooms’ brand.
Jellaine is again turning her focus on changing the world of beauty by creating products that give back and make a difference in the world.
Topics covered in this episode: Being more than just a pretty brand, Creating products that make a difference, Listening to your gut, Multiplying what works, Removing the separation between you and the customer, Finding what resonates with you, Finding Fulfillment in what you do, and so much more.
Recently Steve wrote a book titled 'Clarity: How to get it, How to keep it, How to use it to balance your life.' Steve is also a highly respected speaker traveling globally to share his message of Clarity!
Topics covered in this episode: A mistake is only a mistake if you don't learn from it, Working with family, Building world class brands and businesses, Being a continual learner, The importance of passion, Clarity, Goal-setting, and so much more.